Furniture glide and method of making same



Feb. 26, 1963 E. B. MORGAN 3,078,498

FURNITURE GLIDE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed May 23, 1960 I I .15 .11, 1-2 4' 3 6 INVENTOR Ef'ZJi nj .3. Morgan wmvzss BY 3M4; Wan/u S. B/ww1v 4/0. ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,078,498 FURNITURE GLIDE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Erving B. Morgan, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignor to American Seating Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a

corporation of New Jersey Filed May 23, 1960, Ser. No. 30,969 3 Claims. (Cl. 1642) The present invention relates to furniture glides and more particularly to glides adapted for attachment to chairs, tables and the like having legs of tubular metal.

The primary objects of the invention are to provide an improved glide for furniture legs which are disposed at different angles; to provide such a glide which includes a resilient cushioning member and which will slide on a floor quietly when the article of furniture on which the glide is installed, is moved; to provide novel means for installing the glide on furniture legs of tubular metal; to provide an improved method for making such a glide; and in general to provide a furniture glide which is efficient in use, reasonably economical in manufacture, and attractive in appearance.

An illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevatio-nal view of the new glide attached to a tubular metal furniture leg shown fragmentarily and in central vertical section;

FIGURE 2 is a central vertical sectional view of the assembled glide and furniture leg, the leg being here shown in angular disposition;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a horizontal sectional view taken on line 44 of FIGURE 1;

FiGURE 5 is an exploded view showing various parts of the glide in perspective; and

FIGURE 6 is a vertical sectional view of parts of the glide and a two-part gated mold used in making the glide.

Referring now in detail to this drawing, the glide there shown has an outer, floor-contacting, circular shell 10 having an upwardly and inwardly turned rim 11 defining a circular central opening 12. This shell 10 is preferably made of steel which is first formed and then case-hardened to give it a long-wearing characteristic.

A central member 13, preferably a zinc die-casting, has a square foot 14 disposed within the shell 10, a cylindrical stem 15 extending upwardly from the middle of the square foot 14 and through the circular opening 12 in the shell 10, and a ball 16 on the upper end of the stem 15. A resilient plastic filling material 17 occupies the entire space within the shell 10 except that occupied by the foot 14 and stem 15 of the central member 13.

A retainer 18 comprises a pair of complementary retainer-halves 19 of rigid molded plastic composition, said retainer-halves having complementary cavities providing a socket 20 in which is turnably mounted the ball 16, and having adjoining complementary cavities forming a void 21 through which passes the stem 15 of the central member 13. It will readily be seen that the void 21 permits limited angular movement of the retainer 18 relative to the central member 13, so that the glide is self-adjusting with respect to a sloping furniture leg as seen in FIGURE 2. The retainer-halves 19 are inserted into the open lower end of the tubular leg 22 and are gripped into assembly by said leg.

The method by which parts of the glide are assembled is illustrated in FIGURE 6. A two-part mold is provided, comprising a lower mold part 22 and an upper mold part 23 having a gate 24 therein. These mold parts have complementary recesses therein corresponding to "ice the assembled shell 10, central member 13 and plastic filling material 17. To start the operation, the casehardened shell 10 is placed in the lower mold part 22. The central member is next placed in the lower mold part 22 with the square foot 14 thereof disposed within the shell 10. This is made possible by the fact that the sides of the square foot 14 of the central member are of lesser dimension than the diameter of the circular opening 12 in the shell 10 so that the foot can first be inserted into the shell at an angle, and then set true, being spaced from all of the walls of the shell. The mold is then closed and fluid plastic material is introduced through the gate 24 so as to occupy the entire space Within the shell except that occupied by the foot and the stern of the central member. After the plastic material has set, the mold is opened and the completed assembly is removed therefrom.

When the glide is assembled to the tubular furniture leg, the two retainer halves 19 are first assembled around the ball 16 of the central member 13. The retainer is then inserted into the open lower end of the leg, and the upwardly extending ribs 25 on the retainer guide it into the leg and wedge within the leg so that the leg itself grips the retainer-halves in assembly. The retainerhalves have outwardly extending semicircular flanges 26 at their lower ends on which rest the circular lower end of the furniture leg.

It will be seen that, whereas the sides of the square foot 14 of the central member 13 are of lesser dimension than the circular opening 12 in the shell 10 so that the foot can be inserted into the shell, the diagonals of the square foot 14 are of greater dimension than the diameter of said circular opening so that in the completed glide, the corners of the square foot 14 underlie the inwardly turned rim 11 of the shell. These parts are thus secured in assembly so that there is no possibility of the shell being pulled off the glide.

The invention thus provides a novel furniture glide and method of making the same, and while but one specific embodiment of the invention has been herein shown and described, it will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to or by details of construction of that particular embodiment, and that the spirit of the invention comprehends all such modifications as fall within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A glide for a furniture leg, comprising: a pre-formed shell having an upwardly and inwardly turned rim defining a circular opening; a central member having a square foot and a stem extending upwardly from the foot, said square foot having sides of lesser dimension than the diameter of the circular opening in said shell so that the foot can be inserted into the shell at an angle, and said square foot having diagonals of greater dimension than the diameter of said opening so that when inserted in the shell and axially aligned therewith the corners of the square foot underlie the inwardly turned rim of the shell surrounding said circular opening; a resilient plastic filling material occupying the entire space within said shell except that occupied by the foot and the stem of said central member; and means on the upper end of said stem adapting the glide for attachment to the lower end of said furniture leg.

2. A glide for a furniture leg, comprising: a pre-formed circular metal shell having an upwardly and inwardly turned rim defining a circular central opening; a metal central member having a square foot, a stem extending upwardly from the foot, and a ball at the top of the stem, said square foot having sides of lesser dimension than the diameter of the circular opening in said shell so that the foot can be inserted in the shell at an angle, and said square foot having diagonals of greater dimension than the diameter of said opening so that when inserted in the shell and axially aligned therewith the corners of the square foot underlie the inwardly turned rim of the shell surrounding said central opening; a resilient plastic filling material occupying the entire Space within said shell except that occupied by the foot and the stem of said central member; and a retainer having a socket for the ball and means adapting said retainer for attachment to the lower end of said furniture leg.

3. A glide for a tubular metal furniture leg, comprising: a circular metal shell having an upwardly and inwardly turned rim defining a circular central opening; a metal central member having a square foot disposed within said shell spacedly from all the Walls of the shell, said square foot having sides of lesser dimension than the diameter of the circular opening in said shell so that the foot can be inserted into the shell at an angle, and said square foot having diagonals of greater dimension than the diameter of said opening so that when inserted in the shell and axially aligned therewith the corners of the square foot underlie the inwardly turned rim of the shell surrounding said circular opening, said metal central member having also a cylindrical stem extending upwardly from the middle of said square foot and through the opening in said shell, and having a ball on the upper end ,4 of said stem; a resilient plastic filling material occupying the entire space within said shell except that occupied by the foot and the stern of said central member; and a retainer comprising complementary retainer-halves providing a socket in which is turnably disposed said ball and providing a void through which passes said stern, said void being of greater diameter than said stem to permit limited angular movement of the retainer relative to the central member, and said retainer-halves being inserted into the open lower end of said tubular leg and gripped in assembly by said leg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 918,083 Palmer Apr. 13, 1909 1,494,766 Benjamin May 20, 1924 1,734,727 Herold Nov. 5, 1929 2,490,956 Freund Dec. 13, 1949 2,704,663 Blake Mar. 22, 1955 2,767,944 Moore Oct. 23, 1956 2,873,482 Bridge et a1 Feb. 17, 1959 2,885,719 Nordmark et al May 12, 1959 2,908,941 Sabo et al Oct. 20, 1959 2,973,546 Roche Mar. 7, 1961 

1. A GLIDE FOR A FURNITURE LEG, COMPRISING: A PRE-FORMED SHELL HAVING AN UPWARDLY AND INWARDLY TURNED RIM DEFINING A CIRCULAR OPENING; A CENTRAL MEMBER HAVING A SQUARE FOOT AND A STEM EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THE FOOT, SAID SQUARE FOOT HAVING SIDES OF LESSER DIMENSION THAN THE DIAMETER OF THE CIRCULAR OPENING IN SAID SHELL SO THAT THE FOOT CAN BE INSERTED INTO THE SHELL AT AN ANGLE, AND SAID SQUARE FOOT HAVING DIAGONALS OF GREATER DIMENSION THAN THE DIAMETER OF SAID OPENING SO THAT WHEN INSERTED IN THE SHELL AND AXIALLY ALIGNED THEREWITH THE CORNERS OF THE SQUARE FOOT UNDERLIE THE INWARDLY TURNED RIM OF THE SHELL SURROUNDING SAID CIRCULAR OPENING; A RESILIENT PLASTIC FILL- 